Exclusions from school for Infectious Diseases

Occasionally our students contract an illness or condition. The list below highlights some of these illnesses and the time required for the student to be away from school. These timelines are to ensure the safety of the sick child as well as the other students in the school.

Any medical questions should be directed to your family doctor.

If there is a confirmed case of measles at the school and your child is not immunised, they will be excluded until 14 days after the first day of appearance of the rash in the last case. If unimmunised contacts are vaccinated within 72 hours of their first contact with the first case they may return to school.

The following lists some of the illnesses and the time your child will need to be absent from school.

• Chicken Pox: Until fully recovered or at least 5 days.

• Conjunctivitis: Until discharge from the eyes has ceased.

• Diarrhoea: Exclude until there has not been a loose bowel motion for 24 hours.

• Diphtheria: Until receipt of a medical certificate of recovery from infection.

• German Measles (Rubella): Until fully recovered or at least four days after onset of rash.

• Hand, Foot and Mouth Virus: Excluded from school until the blisters have gone. Return on Doctor’s advice.

• Head Lice: Parents are contacted immediately and children are excluded from school until they have been treated. Treatment solution is available from the chemist.

• Hepatitis A: Medical Certificate needed to resume, but not before 7 days after the onset of jaundice or illness.

• Herpes (Cold Sores): Young children should be excluded while the lesion is weeping. Lesions on exposed areas must be covered with a water tight dressing.

• HIV/Aids Virus: Exclusion is not necessary unless the child has a secondary infection.

• Impetigo (School sores): Until appropriate treatment has started. Sores on exposed areas must be covered with a water tight dressing.

• Influenza: Exclude until well.

• Leprosy: Exclude until approval to return has been given by the Secretary.

• Measles: Until at least four days from the appearance of rash or until receipt of a medical certificate of recovery from infection.

• Meningitis/Meningococcal Virus: Medical certificate required.

• Mumps: Until fully recovered. (9 days or until swelling goes down)

• Polio: Fourteen days minimum, plus a certificate.

• Ringworm: Until appropriate treatment has commenced.

• Salmonella, Shigella: Exclude until there has not been a loose bowel motion for 24 hours.